


Help, I'm Alive

by Winmance



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coma, Doctor Laurent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Firefighter Damen, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Nicaise (Captive Prince) Lives, Permanent Injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-07-13
Packaged: 2020-05-20 06:46:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19371499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winmance/pseuds/Winmance
Summary: Damen is a firefighter who has to be put in a coma after a fire went wrong.While his body is sleeping, his mind has moments of lucidity, which allows him to think about his life and find a new purpose : helping his doctor, Laurent De Vere, who has been fighting for him since the beginning.His life may be over, but he won't go without helping Laurent.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on a prompt I received. I'll put it at the end since it spoils pretty much all the fic. 
> 
> Beta by readerwriteme

Smoke. That’s the first thing he notices when his mind starts to come around.

He can’t place where he is or who he’s with. He’s probably working but maybe he isn’t; maybe the fire is in his own house? No, it can’t be; there’s a child’s voice somewhere.

A child. He needs to get to the child. He tries to walk but his body is too heavy and his mind is becoming dizzy. Someone calls his name. It’s Nikandros, he thinks, only he sounds more scared than he ever has.

Does he remember that time they were camping, and a snake came into their tent? They both started screaming so loud that Damen’s dad crawled out of his own tent completely naked, thinking something awful had happened. It took ten seconds for Damen and Nikandros’s tears to turn into laughter.

He should ask Nikandros if he remembers that. Not right now of course, because right now, he’s lying on the floor and can’t breathe correctly. Can’t breathe at all actually. He’s not aware of what’s happening around him anymore. Did he get the kid out before falling? He thinks he did. Maybe he didn’t. He doesn’t want to die for nothing.

That snake wasn’t even poisonous.

It’s time to sleep now.

 

 

 

“Patient 20. Male, thirty years old, firefighter. He was caught in a fire six months ago. We’ve put him in an artificial coma.”

The voice continues talking but Damen doesn’t understand everything. He thinks they’re talking about him, but they said that the patient had burns all over his back, his lungs had been torched, and his left leg is practically destroyed and obviously, that isn’t the case with him. He’s fine. Nothing was hurting, not really. Sure, he’s feeling a little dizzy but that’s about it.

He wants to tell the guy who’s talking but he can’t open his eyes. He can’t move his body either, and when he wants to frown he realizes he can’t move his face. He’s asleep. That must be it. He’s having a bad dream, nothing more.

He hears footsteps and a door closing. Is he alone now? He doesn’t want to be. He needs someone to talk to him, to notice him, anything that could prove to him that he isn’t dead yet.

“I’m Dr. Laurent De Vere. I’ll be taking care of you from here on out,” the man – doctor says. “Your previous doctor wanted to turn your machines off. He said there was nothing more we could do for you. I disagree so he gave me your case. Don’t think it was a gift, it wasn’t. They’re all waiting for me to make a mistake, but I won’t. I’ve never been wrong, and it won’t start now. So, if you can hear me, Damianos, which I doubt, know that I’m gonna save you no matter how long it takes.”

There’s footsteps and a door closing again. He isn’t alone. He isn’t dead yet.

 

 

He’s not always awake. He doesn’t think so anyway. It’s impossible to tell when a day starts and when a day ends, or if his last memory is from an hour ago or a week ago. He hears his doctor’s voice, almost every time he’s awake. Sometimes he hears the nurses who are taking care of him too. Sometimes he even hears other doctors or other patients. He still hasn’t heard his brother, Jokase, or even Nikandros. He hopes his mind will let him be awake the next time they come.

 

 

“Hello, Damianos,” Dr. De Vere says, as he often does. Damen is starting to notice a pattern: his doctor only talks to him when he’s alone. If other doctors or interns are there, he doesn’t acknowledge him, not like he does when it’s just the two of them.

 “Today I had three people telling me how nice the weather has been lately. Three people! Do they think I can’t tell that the weather had been good? Why do they need to say it?”

If Damen could answer, he would tell his doc that people just want to make small talk and that they’re not insulting his intelligence. He would probably smile while explaining it, amused by the fact that his super smart doctor is getting angry about something most people consider amicable.

“I’m sure you’re the type of guy who would say that the weather is good,” his doc mumbles.

He is.

“I’m gonna start a new treatment on your burns next week. It’s an expensive one so you better be fighting for your life because the whole hospital hates me because of you.” There’s a pause but Damen knows the conversation isn’t over. He’s starting to understand the way his doc likes to talk. “Well, let’s be honest, it’s not just because of you; they hated me before too.”

If he was awake, he would probably laugh and tell his doctor that yes, he is fighting for his life, and soon they both will be laughing together at all the doctors who said Damen was a lost cause.

 

 

Nikandros had decided he wanted to be a firefighter after one of their friends brought his dad during “Present your parent’s job” day at school.

The man had talked for almost an hour about the time he’d saved a whole family from a car on fire, not caring that he was putting his own life in danger.

His coworkers had begged him to stop, but he had refused, claiming that if it was him in that car, they wouldn’t have stopped until they’d gotten him out of there.

He’d gotten the five people in the car out and was sent off to the hospital to recover.

One of the women he’d saved came to see him a few days later, then the next day too, and the day after that.

Not only had he had saved five people that would have been dead otherwise, but he had gotten an impressive and cool scar on his right arm and found the love of his life.

Damen had decided he wanted to be a firefighter after he saw one rescuing a bunch of kittens who were stuck into a hole.

The firefighter ended up adopting all the kittens, claiming that they were his responsibility now. Every now and then, Damen would stop at his place to help give baby bottles to the kittens and play with them.

Their friend’s father had died one year later in a fire trying to rescue an old lady. It was later proven that she was dead before the fire began.

 

 

“Teenagers are a fucking nightmare,” his doc says in greeting.

Damen mentally sighs in relief, a wave of happiness spreading through him. He hasn’t heard his doc for quite a while now, either because he wasn’t “awake” when he came or because his doc simply hadn’t come, he isn’t sure. Through the last one is unlikely; if he believes what the nurses said, his doc had been coming to see him every single day since he was transferred to his service.

“I had to go up to Nicaise’s high school because the little shit put ten bath bombs in the school’s pool while other kids were in it.”

Nicaise? Is he his son? He thought his doc was pretty young, but maybe he’d been wrong. Also, where did Nicaise find ten bath bombs?

“Nicaise is my nephew,” his doc says. “I’ve been raising him for a while now which probably explains why he’s turning into a little shit.”

He wants to protest that putting bath bombs in a pool full of people is pretty cool, but he’s not sure his doc will agree if he said so. Not that he can, anyway.

“It’s… hard, to raise a kid. My brother died seven years ago when Nicaise was only eight and since his mom had never been around, I took him with me. I’m not that much older than him; only ten years, which makes things even harder. How am I supposed to act like a dad to him when I could very well be his brother?” He sighs, “I just want Auguste to be proud of me. I promised him I would look after his son and I… I don’t think I’m doing a very good job.”

Damen doesn’t think that’s true. He doesn’t know Nicaise and he doesn’t really know his doc either, but the fact that his doc cares so much about this kid tells him that he loves him. Isn’t that what his brother would have wanted; for someone to love his child as much as he loved him?

“You’re back is healing really well. We’ve only been using the new treatment for three months, but I can already see the result. It’s really encouraging.”

Three months? Has it really been three months already? That means that he’s been in the hospital for nine months. Shouldn’t he be awake by now?

“I’ll come back to see you before leaving tonight.”

 

 

Someone is in his room. It’s not his doc, he knows that. Laurent – he started calling him that not that long ago, what’s the point of being polite if no one can hear you? Laurent has a particular way of walking, graceful in a way that makes you think his feet barely touch the floor, that suits his personality just fine; but the person in his room right now is walking very loudly. He thinks it’s a man because of the way he breathes, heavily and angrily. He doesn’t like him at all. Where’s Laurent?

He hears someone else stepping into the room, a woman this time.

“Are you sure, Smith? De Vere is gonna throw a tantrum when he finds out.”

“Fuck De Vere! I’m tired of that bitch telling us all what to do and not to do. He’s been using all the money on this patient for nothing. It’s time to put an end to it.”

Damen never wanted to be more awake than right now. Who the fuck does this doctor think he is, insulting Laurent like that?

“You get away from him!” Laurent yells, stepping into the room. “He is my patient, I’m the one making decisions, not you!”

“It’s been a year. One whole year, and still nothing. Not a single movement. Nothing. Nada. His family agreed to have him taken off machines.”

Did they? No. Kastor wouldn’t let him die. He simply wouldn’t. He’s his big brother. They love each other. He wouldn’t let him die like that.

“Because you’ve told them there wasn’t anything more we could do, which isn’t true. Damianos is getting stronger. I can see it.”

“You can’t see a thing!”

He needs to move. He needs to prove to them that he isn’t dead. He needs to help Laurent. He doesn’t want to die yet. He’s too young and there are too many things he hasn’t done. He wants to know what Laurent looks like. He wants to thank him for all he’s done.

 “Yes, I can! Because unlike you, I’m good at my job.”

“You better watch your mouth boy!”

Laurent never left him, and he won’t leave him either.

He can move his fingers. Maybe not his whole hand, he knows that’s too much, but if Laurent would just hold his hand, he could move his fingers and prove those assholes wrong.

“He’s not brain dead. He’s a healthy man, a hero. I’m not gonna stop fighting now. I’ll continue until I decide there’s no chance left.”

“Then take him off his meds. Let him wake up,” the woman says.

“No. He’ll be in too much pain. His body isn’t ready yet.”

“It’s been a year. When is he gonna be ready?”

Do they realize he’s right in front of them? Do they care? He’s here! He’s right here and yet, they’re talking like he’s just a computer waiting to be turned off.

“That isn’t your call to make,” Laurent says. “nor is it your decision. I’m his doctor and unless the Chief tells me we need to cut his life support, I won’t. Now, it would be better for the two of you to leave this room before I call security.”

“Once you realize that you’ve been wrong,” the man starts, “don’t come crying to us because you’ve been fired.”

The door is closed and he hears Laurent coming closer to him. He wants to cry with frustration, to scream at the top of his lungs, to punch something, to see, he wants to see so fucking bad. Everything has been black for so long now. He needs to see.

“I believe in you,” Laurent says. “And I don’t- I know you can’t hear me, but I believe in you. So please know that I won’t let anyone hurt you. We’re a team now.”

He won’t let them hurt Laurent either.

 

 

He dreams of the snake again, the same snake they later found out Kastor had put into their tent. This time though, instead of screaming, he gets down on his knees and holds his hand out for the snake to touch. The snake is scared at first, but slowly, it gets closer to Damen’s hand until they’re almost touching.

Then the snake turns into butterflies, hundreds of butterflies flying around Damen. They’re beautiful, full of life and color.

Had the snake always been that pretty?

 

 

 

Food. It smells like food. Lasagna maybe? He’s not sure. Fuck, he can’t remember the last thing he ate before the fire. He’s sure it didn’t smell as good as this.

“Nicaise is staying with some friends tonight so I figured I could keep you company.”

Why would someone choose to stay with a dead body instead of enjoying a night alone? No one in their right minds. Still, he’s thrilled by the fact that Laurent chose to be with him.

“I’ve met your brother. In case you didn’t know, he’s an idiot.”

He knows that. He loves his brother to death, but even he can admit that he isn’t what one would call nice.

“His girlfriend isn’t any better. A real bitch. Guess they were meant to find each other, weren’t they?”

Kastor has a girlfriend. He didn’t before the fire. Then again, it’s been over a year. He can’t expect people to just stop living.

“He reminds of my uncle,” Laurent says, his voice dropping. His family is a sensitive subject. “He’s… my parents died, when I was seven. Car crash. I was with them when it happened. I was a mess after that. Who wouldn’t be? I was the only one who came out alive. I saw their dead bodies.

Anyway, Auguste and I were sent to live with our uncle. Everybody thought he was so generous, to take his two orphaned nephews with him, even more when I started showing signs of PTSD. He sent Auguste away almost immediately. Put him in a boarding school so we could only see each other every so often.

Nights were awful. I would beg him to stay with me so he did.”

There’s an awful feeling growing in Damen’s stomach. He doesn’t want it to be true, doesn’t want to know that some sick asshole hurt Laurent like that. He doesn’t because there’s no way for him to express his anger right now.

“It lasted until I was fifteen. Then I told Auguste that I wanted to come and live with him. He said yes right away, didn’t wait for an explanation. He loved me, you know. Auguste loved me so much and I loved him right back.

“Uncle had stolen so many years from us. So many years where we could have been together, so we tried to make the most of it. We were waiting for uncle to try to get me back, but when I turned eighteen and he still hadn’t done anything, we thought it was over.

“Auguste died one week after I turned eighteen. Car crash. I was supposed to be in the car too, but Nicaise was sick so I told Auguste to enjoy his night out.

“My parents had a hospital. A whole hospital and a whole lot of money, too. It was our heritage but if we had both died, it would have been my uncle’s property and so would have Nicaise. I was already too old for my uncle’s liking.”

Laurent isn’t crying but his voice is shaking, and Damen wonders how many times he’s told this story. Never, probably. He’s the first one to hear it and he’ll take it to the grave with him, he promises that.

“I fought really hard to prove that I was worthy to keep Nicaise. Uncle said that I was unfit, just a spoiled child that didn’t deserve anything. I skipped a lot of class and he used that against me. Said that I was smart, but that I didn’t have any social skills, that I couldn’t give love to Nicaise.

I had zero friends, zero lovers, and zero support. They gave Nicaise the choice and he, of course, chose me. I was so relieved. I would have given all the money and the hospital away as long as it meant keeping Nicaise.

My uncle owns 20% of the hospital. It’s small, but enough that I can’t fire him. I left that hospital when I was twenty-two. I couldn’t deal with seeing him every day. It’s a shame; I really loved that hospital. We’re still fighting. He has a reputation, he’s an excellent surgeon, a respected man and I’m a twenty-five-year-old surgeon that has the reputation of being an iron cold bitch. I don’t even know why I don’t just give up on the hospital.”

It’s unfair. This entire story is unfair. Why did Laurent have to be the one to go? He didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing at all.

“Do that again,” Laurent says suddenly, short of breath.

Did someone else enter the room?

“Damianos, move your fingers again,” Laurent begs. “Please.”

Did he move his fingers? He doesn’t know how he did it. He didn’t even know he did it before Laurent said it!

He feels something. Someone is touching him, holding his hand. It’s Laurent. Laurent is holding his hand. He’s begging him to move and Damen would be damned if he let Laurent down.

He concentrates hard. The feeling of Laurent holding his hand is barely noticeable, but it’s there. How does one move his fingers? It’s something so natural, so easy, that he’s never really thought about it. It’s funny, how you only realize that you should have paid better attention to things once they’re gone.

“Call doctor Travis!” Laurent yells, probably to one of the nurses. Then he whispers to Damen only, “I knew you were still there. I knew it. You can’t hear me, Damianos, but I’m gonna help you. I’m gonna save you. I promise.”

 _I can hear you,_ he wants to say, _and I’m gonna save you, too._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me what you thought of it ! The rest of the fic is written, I'll post it in the next few days. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> \---------------------------------- Prompt --------------------------------------
> 
>  
> 
> Damen wakes up after being in a coma for 2 years.
> 
> The life he had is long gone, his best friend moved to the other side of the countr.y, his girlfriend is now engaged to his brother and pregnant with his child, his father is dead, his apartment and things sold or stored away and his career as a firefighter is over. 
> 
> He has to move on, start a new life, yet the only thing he can think about is the hot doctor that has been taking care of him for those 2 years and talking to him every day
> 
> He told him about his annoying coworkers, his super demanding boss, his stubborn nephew, his dead brother, his uncle... and maybe let it slip once or twice that had he met Damen before, he would definitely made a move on him. 
> 
> He stayed there 2 years before he woke up. Him and Lauren didn't know each other before. Laurent actually wanted to become a surgeon or something, maybe pediatric surgeon, and his family actually owned a famous hospital but then *insert dramatic accident* happened and his father and Auguste died and then his uncle took custody and you know... His uncle did everything he could to take over the hospital and even though Laurent wanted to work and take over the hospital himself he gave up. But he still practically owns it. Laurent started talking to Damen telling him about his past and his life in general and kind of found someone to talk to, and that someone happens to be just his type. 
> 
> Damen wakes up, his life is destroyed, he has some type of permanent injury like maybe can't move his left hand very well and can't be accepted back to his job. After he wakes up he sees Laurent like maybe one time and instantly remembers him as the voice he's been hearing. Laurent is definitely his type and well then Damen tries to get close to Laurent because he wants to help him with the hospital and uncle thing but doesn't tell him that he know so he has to work around it and they fall in love and you know stuff happens. Maybe throw a nephew Nicaise in there why not I love my son and I like to see him have a nice and full life.


	2. Chapter 2

He doesn’t improve at all in the following months. Quite the opposite. His body apparently used all his strength to move his fingers, which, unfortunately, put him back into a deep sleep for a few weeks.

At least his exploit was enough to make all the other doctors shut their mouths and show more respect for Laurent’s work.

 

 

“Christmas is in less than two weeks and I still didn’t get Nicaise’s present. Do you think I’m fucked?”

 _Yes, you are. But that’s ok, I’ll help you._ That’s what he would say if he could speak. He’d always loved Christmas and buying presents was probably one of his favorite things to do. Being able to please someone and showing the ones you love how well you know them while putting a smile on their faces is the most amazing feeling.

He won’t get to celebrate Christmas this year as he has in years past. He’s been here for one year and nine months. Almost two years. No one has come to see him apart from Laurent. He doesn’t blame them, though. They probably spent the six first months by his side but left him when there was no improvement.  He can’t imagine what it’s like.

While he doesn’t blame them, there’s still that little voice in his head telling him that they all moved on and forgot about him. Do they still think of him? Do they still talk about him? Do their new friends or lovers get to hear about him or is he just a faraway memory for them now, a fragment of what once was?

“Nicaise said that we should come up and eat with you in case you’re a Christmas miracle and decide to wake up. I told him that it was dumb but he played the orphan card so I couldn’t really say no, could I?”

Laurent’s told Nicaise about him. Well, at least, two people might remember him.

 

 

 

“He’s hot,” Nicaise – well, Damen t _hinks_ it’s Nicaise -- says. “You didn’t say he was hot, though it explains why you talked so much about him.”

“Of course I talk about him, he’s my patient.”

“A patient that appears to be really hot.”

Damen wants to smile and see Laurent’s reaction. Is he smiling? Blushing? Giving Nicaise a dead stare? Yeah. The last one is probably the most accurate.

“Can he hear us?”

_Yes. I can._

“No. He can’t.”

“Do you think he’ll wake up, or are you just continuing because you don’t want to say that you were wrong?”

“He’ll wake up. I can feel it. Even if he doesn’t, I won’t stop fighting. He deserves someone that will fight for him.”

“How did he end up here again?”

“It was a house fire. His captain had told them to stop, but he heard a kid and went back into the house. His best friend tried to hold him back and save him, but he couldn’t. He fell on his stomach and a piece of the roof fell on him. They couldn’t reach him, which left plenty of time for his back to burn. Honestly, it’s a miracle he’s even made it this far.”

“Fuck,” Nicaise says. “Did he save the kid at least?”

“Yes, he did. He cleared the way for him and told him to run. The kid would be dead if it wasn’t for him.”

Damen lets out a mental breath. At least, even if he dies, the kid is alive. He saved him and that’s all that matters.

“I hope he wakes up,” Nicaise says.

“Me too.”

“So you can suck his cock?”

“I hope you’re enjoying your meal because it will be your last.”

He’s not sure what’s happening after that, but he hears a lot of scuffling and a lot of laughter. He doesn’t think he’s ever heard Laurent laughing since he’s been here. He’d forgotten how nice it was to feel so much love and happiness around him.

If he must die, he hopes Laurent and Nicaise’s laughter is the last thing he hears.

 

 

 

“You would have been my type,” Laurent says a few days later, “if you weren’t my patient and if I was the kind of person who dated. You’re… attractive. And from what I’ve heard you’re very kind, too.”

Has Laurent ever dated anyone? He has a feeling the answer is no. While Laurent is very sweet when speaking to him, he doesn’t speak to anyone else like that like (except for Nicaise, of course). He’s brash, cold, and even a little mean. But that’s not the real Laurent, he knows that. He’s probably the only one who knows it, though.

“In another life, maybe.”

_Good thing my life is over, then._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot for all the comments, it means a lot to me.   
> The next chapter should be out by tomorrow


	3. Chapter 3

Pain. So much pain. His throat is on fire, his mouth is dry, and his body feels flayed. What is happening? Why does everything hurt so much?

“It’s ok Damianos, everything is ok.”

Laurent. Laurent is here. He’s gonna help him.

“ _Hurt,_ ” he whispers, his voice too hash for him to speak loudly.

Talking. He’s talking! How did this happen?

“I know, we gave you something for the pain. You need to drink though; your throat is too dry.”

There’s a cup against his lips. He can feel it. He can feel!

He opens his mouth slightly, the cold liquid burning his throat on its way down. Has water always tasted this bad?

“Can you open your eyes, Damianos?”

Can he?

Yes. He can.

He’s been in the dark for so long now that the light burns his eyes. Has the world always been this bright?

He tries to focus his eyes in front of him but quickly turns his stare toward the person next to him.

He’s imagined what Laurent looks like a million times, but nothing was ever close to how he really looks. He doesn’t think his imagination is capable of conjuring such beauty.

“Hello, Mr. Ackielos. I’m doctor De Vere, your doctor. Nice to meet you.”

He didn’t expect Laurent’s face to be so unreadable and cold either.

 

 

 

He can’t talk much the followings days. The inside of his throat was burned during the fire and even though it’s had time to heal during the last two years, it’s still delicate.

Two years.

He’s lost two years of his life.

Two years in a constant fight to survive.

Two years in the dark, without any sensations, any images, or any faces.

He still has trouble wrapping his mind around it. The fire feels like yesterday and yet, it feels like a hundred years ago.

It’s been two weeks and he still hasn’t been able to walk but Laurent keeps assuring him that it’s better to wait.

His leg is fucked up. He knows it. He just has to look at it to know. Apparently, a piece of furniture fell on and shattered it while he was unconscious on the floor.

It looks ugly. Really ugly. There are places where he can see his flesh and others that carry the traces of surgeries.

It doesn’t hurt much but he suspects that’s because of all the painkillers they gave him.

He loved to run. He and his father used to sign up for a marathon every year since he was twelve and once his dad moved back to Greece, Nikandros would run with him. He could run miles and miles without getting tired. He loved the burning in his lungs and the weight of his legs when it started to become too much. He loved the adrenaline rush running always gave him and the feeling of being invincible when his runner’s high kicked in.

He won’t run again. Never, probably.

He won’t be a firefighter either.

What is he supposed to be now?

 

 

 

 

“I could ask a nurse to take you out,” Laurent offers one day.

They don’t talk much. Less than Damen wants. Less than what he’d expected. He understands though. As far as Laurent knows, Damen doesn’t remember anything from the last two years.

“Could I make some phone call instead?”

“Has no one offered you to call your family yet?” Laurent looks pissed. He probably is.

“They did- I left some voicemails and I know you called them too, but I don’t think they’ve gotten them. Maybe they changed their numbers? I don’t know. I think I should try again.”

“Won’t work any better if they changed their numbers.” Laurent points out. “Did you try calling your station? They’d probably know Nikandros’s new number.”

With that, Laurent walks out of the room only to come back a few seconds later with a phone in his hand.

“Here, I’ll close the door, so you have some privacy.”

“Can you stay?” He asks quickly, as soon as he notices Laurent is about to leave. “I don’t- it’s not gonna be that long or that private.”

“I- sure. I’ll stay.”

Laurent sits on the chair next to his bed, far enough so he won’t be able to hear the conversation but close enough to reassure him.

He’s been having a tough time being on his own since he woke up. He’s been having nightmares and what he thinks are panic attacks. They’ve had to call Laurent more than once because they couldn’t calm him down.

“Hey, it’s Damianos,” the words taste funny in his mouth. Like he’s saying someone else name.

“Damianos?” His captain breathes out, like a man who’s talking to a ghost. That’s what he is, kind of.

“Hey, captain!” He replies with a laugh. “Good to hear your voice.”

“It’s good to hear your voice too, son. Fuck, the boys won’t believe it when I tell them you woke up!”

“That’s why I called, actually. Is Nikandros working right now? I’ve been trying to call him since I woke up, but I can’t get a hold of him.”

There’s no answer on the other end of the phone, but he can hear his captain sigh quietly. His heartbeat picks up. What if something happened to Nikandros?

“He moved away a year ago. I think he’s in Canada or something like that.”

“Canada?” He frowns, not sure he heard correctly. Nikandros hated the cold. Why would he go to Canada?

“Yeah, he wanted a fresh start. From what I heard he met a girl.”

“Oh.”

Nikandros left.

Nikandros left for Canada and he has a girlfriend.

Nikandros left and Damen can’t be angry because he wasn’t here.

He can’t blame him, but God knows he wants to.

“I don’t think he changed his phone number though. I think he’s still talking to Steve – hey, you want me to call Steve? He’s gonna be so happy to hear from you!”

“I- not today. I’m still… I’m still tired, you know; but I’ll call him and all the boys soon. Maybe we could see each other at my place once I get out of here?”

Again, with the stupid silence. What is it now? Have all the boys left for Canada too? Are all his friends gone?

“They sold your place. It was your brother’s idea. Nikandros tried to dissuade him, but he wouldn’t listen. I’m sorry.”

“What? But why would he do that? I’m not dead! I wasn’t dead! Maybe they would have known that if they’d come to see me!”

“Damianos,” Laurent whispers. “don’t get too upset. There’s no point in doing that.”

“I’m sorry, Damen,” his captain says awkwardly. “I know they sent some of your stuff to your father so it’s not all lost.”

“What about Burger? Who took him?”

“I- I think they gave him away. I’m sorry.”

No. He can deal with losing his apartment. He can deal with losing all his stuff. But his dog? He can’t lose his dog. He’s his best friend, he can’t lose him too!

“Listen, I’ll try to get more info and call you back. Just- take care of yourself, Damen. Try to rest.”

Rest? He’s been resting for the last two years. Hasn’t he lost enough time already?

“Thanks, Captain,” he replies instead. “You take care of yourself, too.”

He ends the call and throws the phone against the wall before he can even think twice about it.

It breaks, pieces flying all around the room.

“Sorry,” He mumbles.

“It’s not my phone; I don’t care,” Laurent replies. “No good news, I guess?”

“No, no good news,” he whispers, letting his head fall back against the pillow.

He expects Laurent to leave but instead, he hears the chair getting closer until Laurent is sitting right next to the bed. He hesitates a moment before extending his hand, putting it on top of Damen’s.

“Is this ok?”

“Yeah,” he says. “It is.”

They stay silent for a long moment, nothing but the sound of their breathing filling the room. He wonders if Laurent does this with his other patients too, sit by their bed and hold their hands as they watch their lives being turned to ash.

It doesn’t matter right now though, all he cares is that Laurent is right next to him, that he isn’t alone. For now, at least.

“They gave my dog away,” he whispers. “I loved him. He was my best friend.”

“You called your dog Burger?” There’s a hint of mockery behind those words and Damen can’t help but smirk.

“Yeah, I did. Every day after my shift, I used to stop at the McDonald next to my place. It was generally late at night or early in the morning so there wasn’t a lot of people around. One day, one of the employees starts screaming that there’s some kind of monster in the trashcan. I went to help them, and it turned out to be this adorable little puppy. Well, he wasn’t adorable.

He was trashy. Like, really trashy. He was missing hair, his eyes were swollen, and he was abnormally fat. I can see how it scared the guy. But for me? I felt in love immediately. Turned out, his mom and siblings had died a few weeks prior and their bodies were still in the alley, so this little boy stayed, because well, it was his family, you know? Anyway, he’d been eating nothing but burgers for weeks, so I named him Burger.”

“It’s quite a story for a dog,” Laurent admits.

“He’s not just a dog. He’s my family. Was, anyway,” he whispered, the pain of knowing he won’t see him again bubbling up.

“I’m sure they gave him to someone who loves him a lot. Maybe not as much as you, but still.”

Maybe. Or maybe they’ve given him to someone who doesn’t care about him or who doesn’t understand that when he rubs his right ear, it means he’s scared and that he needs someone to hug him.

Maybe Burger already forgot about him too. It’s been two years. Two years is a hell of a long time for a dog. Actually, it seems like a long time for everyone.

He thought they would have waited longer. Five years maybe, before they said, ‘ _fuck it’_ and let him die. Two years seems like such a short time.

Kastor, his big brother, Nikandros, his best friend since he was three, and Jokase, his girlfriend for a year. They were not supposed to forget him. They were supposed to be by his side until the very last moment.

He lost his friends, his family, his dog, his job, his apartment and everything that made him a person. What is he, now, other than an empty shell?

“I miss him,” he says. “I miss my life.”

“I know.”

“Can you stay?”

Laurent seems to think about that for a moment as if trying to decide what the right thing to do is. He probably would rather be anywhere but here and yet he still nods.

“Yes.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Can’t your dad come to visit you?” Laurent asks, his arm secured around Damen, so he doesn’t fall.

He started his physical therapy a few weeks ago with doctor Halmond. Supposedly he’s older and more experienced than Laurent - well, that’s what he said at least. 

Damen is a friendly guy. He can’t think of one person who he doesn’t get along even the slightest, but this new doctor apparently wants to prove him wrong.

When Damen wants to practice, he would tell him that it was time to rest; and when Damen wants to rest, he would tell him that it was time to practice.

They never talked. Dr. Halmond claimed that talking would decrease his ability to concentrate and after Damen insisted that no, it wouldn’t, the doctor turned out to be a perfect asshole.

Damen would want to go left, and the doctor would make him go right. One time, Damen ended up falling face first on the floor because of it.

Laurent is scary. His bitch face game is so impressive that Damen is starting to think he’s the one who created it. He speaks coldly, almost disrespectfully sometimes, and Damen knows for a fact that none of the other doctors like him.

He’s seen him yelling at doctors, ordering nurses around, and shooting death stares at every single person in the hospital; but he’s never seen him as angry and scary as when he stepped into his room after he learned that Damen cut open his forehead after falling down with Dr. Halmond.

After that, he never saw doctor Halmond again and Laurent started doing his physical therapy.

“No. He’s in Greece and he’s old and sick. Even if he could come here, he wouldn’t be able to go back.”

“He could stay here with you.”

“Yeah, he could. But he never liked living here, he has his friends in Greece, my mom is buried there, and it just feels unfair to ask him to come and spend his last few years or months in a country he hates.”

“You’re his son. If I had the choice between spending my last moment in a place that I hate but with someone that I love or spending it alone in my favorite place, I would choose the first option in a heartbeat.”

“Have you ever lost someone?” He asks, even though he knows the answer.

“Yes,” Laurent answers. “And you lost your mom, right?”

“She died in labor. I’ve never… it’s weird, to miss and cry for someone you never knew, you know? I don’t know what it’s like to mourn someone. I’ve spent all my life without her, so I don’t have memories or things like that. Now I have to mourn for my own life. How weird is that?” He laughs, trying to hide the pain growing in his chest. It feels like he’s watching his own death, his own last moments and once he’s dead, he’ll be the only one at his funeral.

“Your life isn’t over, Damianos. It may feel like it is, but it isn’t. You’ll get better.”

“Will I? I can’t even be a firefighter anymore. I’ve lost… everything is gone.”

“But you’re alive. You can start over.”

“I’ve never been alone before,” he admits. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“Putting one foot in front of the other is a good start.”

He does so, using Laurent as a support to walk without falling down.

 

 

 

 

“When did it start?” he asks, “I mean, before or after the fire?”

“Before,” Jokaste answers carelessly. Now that he thinks of it, he doesn’t think he’s ever heard her talk in a tone other than this one. “Right after you introduced us, actually.”

“So right when we started dating?”

“Almost.”

“Do you love him?”

“You’re always so sentimental,” she rolls her eyes before picking up her bag from the floor. “I just wanted you to know, that’s all.”

“Right. So nice of you.”

“Kastor didn’t want to tell you. Would you have rather found out during a family gathering? Or when you saw pictures of the baby?”

“I would have rather not have been cheated on with my brother.”

She does look uncomfortable, through Damen suspects it’s all an act. She’s always been good at pretending.

“Do you know where Burger is?” He asks before she leaves.

“The dog? No. We gave it to a shelter.”

“What? Which on?”

“I don’t remember. Listen, I need to go, goodbye Damen.”

She gives him one last smile before leaving the room, one of her hands resting protectively on her round belly.

In another life, it would have been his child inside of her; it would have been his ring on her finger. In another life, but maybe not in a better one.

 

 

 

Laurent has only taken two-steps into his room and already Damen knows something is wrong.

There’s a look on his face, one of someone that hasn’t slept or eaten a lot, too worried to take care of his basic human needs.

“Are you alright?” He asks when Laurent still hasn’t spoken after a few minutes in the room.

“Of course.”

“You don’t seem alright.”

There seems to be an internal conflict in Laurent’s head as to whether he should tell Damen to go fuck himself or be nice. If his two months being awake has taught him anything, it’s that chances are high he will go for the first option.

“Family issues,” he finally says. “Now let’s focus on your legs please.”

In Laurent’s case, family issues can’t mean many things. It can mean either that Nicaise did something bad again – something the boy tends to do a lot- or that the trial isn’t going great.

Either way, Damen could help. He’s not quite sure how, but he would at least try and maybe it would make Laurent feel better to know he isn’t alone.

“Maybe I could help?”

“No, you can’t. Focus on your legs, Damianos.”

“Come on! Two brains are better than one. Even though your brain probably counts for two.”

He does succeed in putting a smirk on Laurent’s face, which isn’t something that happens every day. In fact, he doesn’t think he’s ever seen Laurent smiling before. It’s something he could easily get used to.

“What if I tell you something, then you tell me something. Does that sound fair?”

“I already know everything about you,” Laurent points out. He doesn’t object, though, and Damen counts that as a win.

“Well, I have something juicy that I still haven’t told you. It crushed me. You’re gonna love it,” again, Laurent smiles, and if Damen didn’t know better, he would even say that he might be holding back a laugh. He speaks again. “Do you remember seeing a girl with my brother when he came? Blonde, pretty, blue eyes and all?”

“Your brother’s girlfriend?”

“Yes, well turns out they’re married and they’re expecting a child very soon. Never mind the fact that she was my girlfriend, before the fire.”

Laurent stops moving, his eyes growing big at Damen’s words.

“Shit,” he finally says.

“Yeah, pretty fucked up, uh?” Damen laughs – what else can he do? “Turns out she’s been cheating on me with him since practically the beginning. I didn’t see anything. I thought I was gonna marry her, you know? I even told my brother. He didn’t say anything, didn’t tell me to wait or that maybe she wasn’t the right one. Nothing. He would have let me marry her while sleeping with her every time I had my back turned.”

“I’m sorry,” Laurent says. “They’re both… miserable human-beings.”

“I should have seen it,” Damen admits. “It was right in front of me and I just… I didn’t see anything.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Damianos. Bad people always find a way to screw you over.  I’ve seen your brother, I can assure you that it’s her loss, not yours. You’re far a better man than your brother will ever be.”

He didn’t think it would be so good to hear those words, to hear someone – Laurent, of all people, telling him that Jokaste chose the wrong brother. He smiles at Laurent, thanking him silently for telling him exactly what he needed to hear.

“Your turn,” he says.

“I didn’t agree.”

“But I’ve told you my story!” He defends himself.

“Yes, before I agreed. You may be a good man, but you would have made a terrible lawyer.”

Damen laughs, throwing his head back at his own stupidity. He was played like a child and he doesn’t mind even a little.

He starts walking again, following the instructions Laurent gave him earlier while trying not to fall. Laurent is in front of him, ready to catch him if he falls, through Damen is pretty sure he would crush him if he did happen to fall on him.

“I have a nephew,” Laurent starts. “He’s fifteen and has been living with me since my brother died. The principal at his school called me because Nicaise and another boy were caught giving each other handjob in the locker rooms. I’m not upset he did it, but he didn’t say anything. I didn’t even know he was gay before today. How come I didn’t know something so important?”

“Because he’s a teenager and teenagers have secrets. Don’t blame yourself for something you have no control over. My dad and I always had a really good relationship. Still, I didn’t tell him the first few times I was with girls and I didn’t tell him the first time I was with a boy. It didn’t mean I didn’t trust him enough, just that it was something I had to deal with by myself first.”

“So, what do I do? I just wait for him to talk to me? Should I punish him? Say something in particular?”

“Tell him that he can’t do that at school or that if he does it, he needs to be more discreet. Talk to him about sex and that’s it. Don’t make him feel weird because he’s gay or bi. He’ll talk to you when he is ready.”

Laurent stares at Damen for what seems like an eternity, as if he was trying to memorize every detail about their conversation and Damen feels his cheeks burning bright red under his scrutiny.

He wonders what Nicaise looks like. If he is even slightly as beautiful as Laurent, then there’s no doubt he must make a bunch of boys and girls dizzy.

“You really are a good man, Damianos.”

“And you really are a good uncle, Doctor De Vere,” he replies with a wink.

“Come on, enough with the flatteries. Focus on your exercises please.”


	5. Chapter 5

“It’s good news,” Laurent says, trying to convince Damen.

“No, it’s not.”

“You can’t stay at the hospital forever. You can walk now, there’s no reason for us to keep you here.”

“I limp.”

“So do thousands of people.”

“I don’t have a job.”

“You have a disability pension and your savings. It’s not a lot, but you can start looking for a job whenever you’re ready.”

“I didn’t even visit the apartment. Maybe it doesn’t even exist.”

“Yes, it does,” Laurent sighs before sitting on the chair next to Damen. “Look, I know you’re scared and that’s ok. But you need to move forward. You will still come here at least once a week, and I scheduled an appointment with one of our psychologists.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“Yes, I think I did have to.”

Of course, Laurent is right. He needs to get help dealing with the aftermath of everything and learning how to live again when his life has been turned to ashes.

There’s a bag at his feet with all his belongings: the new phone Laurent helped him pick up, his meds, some clothes he bought online – once again thanks to Laurent- and his ID. He doesn’t own anything else except the cane he’s holding in his hands.

“I’m gonna be alone. I’ve never been alone before.”

Laurent stays silent for a moment, a silence that Damen has learned means he is trying to decide what to do. He stays silent too, enjoying the last moments he gets to spend at the hospital.

“Give me your phone,” Laurent says. “Come on, before I change my mind.”

Damen frowns but does as he is told; holding his phone for Laurent to take.

He sees him unlocking it and quickly tap on it before giving it back.

“You can text and call if you feel too lonely. I’m always busy so I can’t promise I’ll answer immediately, but at least you’ll have someone to talk to.”

“I- thank you,” Damen whispers, not having expected Laurent to do something like that. “It means a lot.”

“You’re welcome, Damen. Now go, you’re disrupting the proper functioning of the hospital.” 

He’d spent all his time he was awake asking Laurent to call him Damen and hearing him finally say it now warms his heart in a way he didn’t expect.

They say goodbye with a handshake that lasts just a little longer than necessary before Laurent guides him toward the exit.

Here’s to his new life.

 

 

 

His apartment is small. Really small. The fact that he is taller than the norm may also be one of the reasons he finds the place so small, but still.

The walls are so thin that he can hear his neighbors fighting and talking no matter what time it is.

The ones next to him have a newborn who cries every hour, something he’s almost positive isn’t normal. The ones above him are a very loud couple who likes to fight hard and fuck even harder. He was a little concerned at first, thinking the man was abusing his wife, but it turns out they’re simply crazy; and the ones under him have their schedules backward which leads them to living overnight and sleeping during the day.

He doesn’t have a room as the ad had said, so he sleeps in his living room. He doesn’t mind, of course, why would he need to have more space? Nobody comes to visit him anyway. 

He still hasn’t talked to Laurent, mostly because he doesn’t want to sound too needy. They still see each other once a week for his physical therapy session and if Damen stays a little longer at the hospital after his session with his psychologist, it’s no one business but his.

“You think I should send him a text?” He asks Doctor Lande.

“If that makes you better, yes. The worst thing that can happen is that he won’t answer, which I doubt.”

“Should I tell a joke or just “hi”? He’s not the kind of person to whom you can simply say hi. He’s too… extraordinary for that.”

“Sounds like you want something besides a friendship,” the doctor laughs, “still not gonna tell me who it is?”

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

“Alright, but I expect you to tell me everything next time we see each other. I’ll prescribe you some pills for your sleep, they should help.”

He thanks him before walking out. He’s tried to send a text to Laurent a thousand times already, but it always sounds too formal or too random. He needs to have a reason; otherwise, Laurent may not answer him.

“He’s in surgery,” Kate, one of his favorite nurses, tells him as she walks past him. “They’ve just begun so it will take hours.”

“I wasn’t waiting for him.”

“Keep telling yourself that, sweetie,” she laughs, apparently amused by the way Damen blushes.

Never mind, he wasn’t waiting for Laurent. He wasn’t.

He exits the hospital and walks toward the bus stop, quickly checking on the time the next one is supposed to come.

He used to love public transport. He always been a friendly guy and as weird as it sounds, being surrounded by people made him happy. He doesn’t anymore.

He has a hard time dealing with all sounds they’re making, with all the proximity. Buses are always too full, too noisy, and more than once he’s been incapable of dealing with the added stress and has had to get out before his stop.

He can’t stand up anymore which has earned him a few dirty looks from old people when he didn’t offer them his seat.

Doctor Travor, who sometimes takes care of him when Laurent isn’t available, said that he’s ready to drive again, but Damen doesn’t want to risk it.

It’s not just the fact that his leg is hurting or that he doesn’t have enough money to buy a car, but the fact that he doesn’t trust his reactions anymore. He gets triggered by everything and ends up having panic attacks over the slightest thing. What if he’s driving and something triggers him? He could put others lives in danger and that’s something he doesn’t want to risk.

He takes his phone out and scrolls to Laurent’s name.

He can do it.

The worst thing that can happen is Laurent ignoring him or things being awkward.

God, he’s never been this anxious, not even with Jokase.

“ _Heading to a job interview! Wish me luck.”_

_“It’s Damen, by the way”_

_“Damianos Akielos”_

_“That was stupid, sorry”_

He wants to bang his head on the floor. Why is he so stupid? Of course, Laurent won’t answer him now.

Interview. He should focus on his interview.

He’s already had three other interviews, mostly for jobs like cook or server, but he knows his leg will be an issue.

This one, though, is quite ideal. He’d be an emergency dispatcher in charge of taking emergency calls and sending firemen, ambulance, or police to help. He’ll get to talk to people and help them, and the job is done while sitting which means he won’t stress for his leg too much.

He checks his phone before exiting the bus and isn’t surprised to see that Laurent hasn’t answered. Still, there’s a knot forming in his stomach and throat.

So much for it not being a big deal.

 

 

 

The interview goes well, so well, in fact, that Damen even allows himself to stop for fast food on his way home, ignoring Doctor Lande’s advice on not eating too much fat before sleeping.

He’s almost sleeping, a stupid reality show playing in the background when his phone vibrates. He stares at it for a moment, deciding whether to look or not.

He’s spoken to his former colleagues and captain a few times, but considering how late it is, it would surprise him if it was one of them; his dad still hasn’t figured out how to text, even though Damen has explained it to him at least a thousand times.

Which means it can only be one person.

_“I was in surgery, sorry. How was your interview?”_

His heart misses a beat, a wide smile appearing on his face as he reads the text over and over again. Somehow, he didn’t blow his chance with Laurent.

“ _Great, I should have the answer tomorrow! I think I nailed it. Well, I hope I nailed it. How was the surgery? Did it go well?”_

_“That’s great news, good job. Yes, the surgery went well, thank you.”_

_“Are things better with Nicaise? I didn’t want to ask you last time since we weren’t alone.”_

_“He’s… complicated. But we’re doing great. He’s a good kid, all things considered.”_

_“That’s awesome!_ _”_

_“It is, yes. Thanks for your advice, it worked quite well.”_

_“Always ;)”_

_“I’m going to bed. Talk to you soon, Damen.”_

_“Yeah, sure. Have a good night, Laurent.”_

He bites his cheeks, not sure if calling him by his first name was the best idea. He’s never done it before, but Laurent did save his number as “Laurent De Vere”, so he figured he could go for it. He sets his phone down and sleep comes quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments, it means a lot to me and I'm so glad so many of you love this fic !


	6. Chapter 6

_There’s light coming from the windows, wending its way onto his bare chest. He’s in his bed, in his old apartment. He puts his hand under his pillow and buries his head in it. God, how he missed this._

_“I made you coffee.” Someone says next to him. Laurent, it’s Laurent’s voice._

_He turns to look at him and is welcomed by the sight of Laurent wearing one of his too big sweatshirts and nothing else. He’s beautiful. His hair is down, almost falling to his shoulders in the most perfect way, finally breathing after having been tied up all day. He’s never seen Laurent with his hair down before. It’s a shame because he’s even more breathtaking like that, something Damen didn’t think was possible._

_“Quit staring,” Laurent warns with a smile._

_He gets back into the bed where Damen is now sitting, and slides into his arms, their bare legs interlocking on top of the sheets._

_“I want to stay in bed all day. Maybe we could watch a movie?” Laurent asks._

_“I- yeah, that’s a good idea,” he whispers, sliding his fingers into Laurent’s hair. It’s as soft as he imagined it to be. “Is Nicaise here? We should tell him to come to.”_

_“Yes, but you’ll need to put on pants.” Laurent laughs and only now does Damen realize he’s naked. There’s an open tube of lube next to the bed and Damen finds himself picking it up._

_“Again?” Laurent asks, “You’re never tired, are you?”_

_Damen laughs – what else can he do? -- and turns to kiss Laurent. He doesn’t have time to though because Laurent is already rolling them over, his legs secured around Damen’s waist._

_He’s so soft and beautiful. He can’t get enough of him; he wants to hold him forever until they’re both old and faded._

_“Kiss me, love.”_

_He closes his eyes and pulls Laurent’s face closer. But he never gets to kiss him._

_He’s not in the bed anymore. He’s standing in the corner of the room, unable to move. What is happening? Why can’t he move?_

_Kastor is here._

_“Kastor? What are you doing here?” He frowns._

_“Are you ready for me?” Kastor asks, sliding into what was Damen’s place a few seconds ago._

_“No. No, Kastor, don’t do that. Please, don’t do that!” He screams, trying unsuccessfully to make his legs move._

_Kastor is kissing Laurent, sliding his fingers into his hair while his cock slides inside of him._

_No. No. This can’t be happening. Not again, not with Laurent. He doesn’t deserve that. Laurent doesn’t deserve that either. He can’t let it happen!_

_He tries to move again but this time, he’s met with sharp pain. He yells in pain and looks down, only to see his leg completely destroyed. His skin is burning, melting away until there’s nothing left but bone, and when he thinks the pain can’t get worse, his bone suddenly shatters._

_“Laurent!” He screams, begging for him to help._

_Only Laurent doesn’t help him; he’s too busy moaning and meeting each one of Kastor’s thrusts._

_This is a nightmare. He needs to get out._

_He can move._

_He runs toward the door, trying to get away from the awful scene playing out in the room, only to find Laurent and a teen in the living room, comfortably sitting on the couch. Nicaise. It must be Nicaise. His face is blurred, but he knows it’s Nicaise._

_“You coming?” Nicaise asks, “We’ve put in your favorite movie.”_

_“I-“ he frowns again and sniffs the air. He knows this smell, but from where?_

_Fire._

_The couch is on fire, and so are Laurent and Nicaise._

_“Damen!” Laurent screams, “It burns Damen, help me!”_

_“Why are you not moving? We need your help!” Nicaise says between sobs._

_“I don’t- I can’t-“_

_It’s too late._

_Their faces are melting down; their blues eyes the last thing Damen can make out._

_“You said you would help me,” Laurent accuses, “why didn’t you help me?”_

He wakes up screaming and shaking, his heart beating so strong that it threatens to leave his chest. He’s hot, he’s too goddamn hot!

He doesn’t want to remember. He doesn’t want to remember the fire, doesn’t want to remember his brother and doesn’t want to remember his nightmare and yet – yet his mind keeps going back to it, flashing him with images of things that never happened, or at least not like this.

He wipes the sweat from his forehead and picks up his phone.

4 a.m. Did his dream last for hours? Or only a few minutes? He can’t tell. Everything feels too surreal.

He hesitates a moment before sending Laurent a text. He doesn’t expect a nice answer – who wants to be woken at four in the morning? – but he needs to make sure Laurent is all right.

“ _You up?”_

It feels like a stupid thing to ask, yet he can’t think of anything else to say. If he asks Laurent if he’s ok, he’ll look even more insane. At least like that, he can always brush it off and find some excuse in the morning.

His phone buzzes.

“ _Yes.”_

Why is Laurent up? Shouldn’t he be sleeping?

“ _Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” he asks._

_“Shouldn’t you be sleeping, too?”_

_“I was. Had a nightmare. What’s your excuse?”_

He sees the dots indicating that Laurent is writing appearing and disappearing a few times as if Laurent was writing down his answer and deleting it immediately after.

It feels odd to imagine Laurent not knowing what to say. He seems to always be one step ahead of everyone, his responses sharp and ready to kill. To his credit, it’s probably too early in the morning for anyone to be that clever.

“ _Same.”_

_“Want to talk about it?”_

_“No, not really. Do you?”_

This time, it’s Damen turns to doubt. Does he want to talk about it? He’s not quite sure. Maybe he does. Unlike Laurent, he likes to talk about the things that are worrying him, it’s his way to deal with it. His dad always said that things look scarier in our head than what they really are.

“ _Yeah. Can I call?”_

Again, with the hesitation. He should tell Laurent to drop it, that he can talk over text instead.

“ _Yes.”_

He doesn’t wait a single second, too afraid Laurent may change his mind.

“Hello,” Laurent whispers, “Do you often ask people to call you in the middle of the night?”

“You should think yourself lucky, I could have driven over your house.”

“You don’t know where I live.”

“I could have had figured it out,” he laughs. “Thanks for calling. I just- do you ever feel like you’re trapped in a nightmare? Like, you’re awake, but it just… keeps playing over and over in your head?”

“Yes. Is that what’s happening with you right now?”

“Yeah. Well, it’s kind of faded away now, but it was… intense. Really intense.”

“What was happening in it?”

“Uh,” he starts, “well, I had this new… lover. Anyway, we were in bed, you know just… messing around and suddenly I was out of the bed. I couldn’t move or do anything, and my brother was kissing my lover. He was making love to him, while I was just here, forced to watch. Then I was finally able to move, I stump out of the room and you were here. You were just… sitting on the couch and suddenly everything starts burning. I think I was back at the fire, the real one, except this time it was you instead of the little boy. It was… Scary and it hurt, fuck it hurt so much, my leg was broken so badly, I didn’t even know something could hurt that bad.”

“That seems quite intense, indeed,” he says. “I don’t think that dream is odd, though. You went through a lot, Damen. You were burned and had your life taken away from you. It’s natural for you to have trouble coping with everything.”

“I know, but it’s… hard. It’s really hard.” He sighs and lets himself fall back on his pillow. “I feel so alone; you have no idea.”

“My… when my parents died, my brother and I had to go with our uncle. He sent my brother to a boarding school almost immediately. Auguste and I, we would still talk, calling each other and everything. We’ve always been close. But I was alone. He wasn’t there, with me, and I.. I went through a lot, too. I know how you feel, Damen, but you’re not alone. I promise. Things… things will get better eventually.”

“Do you pinky swear?”

“Why am I not surprised you’re still using that expression?”

“Because you’re very smart.”

“Not sure that’s why,” he laughs, “but yeah, I pinky swear.”

“Thanks,” he says, “for listening to me. It helped me a lot.”

“Believe it or not, it helped me too.”

He can hear Laurent breathing, barely audible but still there. Is he in his bed? Or did he go into another room? What is he wearing? Is his hair down? Does he feel what Damen feels, this indescribable connection between them?

“Hey, so I was thinking, maybe… maybe we could grab something to eat together? To celebrate my new job. Well, if they say yes, obviously. Not anything fancy, just some garbage food and a movie.”

“I don’t- I need to take care of my nephew.”

“Oh, but he’s invited too! Bring him with you.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you knew him.”

“Come on, the worst thing that can happen is him roosting me, and I promise I can take it.” He laughs. “I just- you helped me so much and I like you. A lot.”

“You like me?” Laurent repeats, dumbfounded.

“I- yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t I?” He smiles, gaining back a little confidence. It’s risky, to say these sorts of things, but he does like Laurent a lot, so why should he hide it?

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Damen,” Laurent whispers, uncomfortable.

“I disagree. See, I think it’s an excellent idea, maybe one of the greatest I ever had. Then again, I ran into a fire so maybe all my ideas aren’t great.” He laughs and sure enough, he can hear a little sound coming out of Laurent’s mouth. “Listen, you don’t have to say yes right now. Go to sleep, think about it, ask Nicaise and send me a text. If you don’t want to, that’s fine, I won’t bring it up again.”

“I will think about it.”

“That’s all I’m asking. Come on, we should try and get some sleep. Sleep well, Laurent.”

“Goodnight, Damen.”  

He put his phone down next to him and slide further under the covers. Maybe Laurent will say no, but he won’t be blamed for not trying.

He doesn’t dream this time.

 

 

 

 

_“What time should we come?”_

The text is so unexpected that Damen almost doesn’t believe it at first, but he wraps his head around it pretty quickly and types his answer as he gets ready to meet with his new boss.

“ _Whenever you want. I’ll be home at five.”_

_“We’ll be there at six, then.”_


	7. Chapter 7

“Your neighborhood is really shitty, you know that?” Is the first thing Nicaise says when Damen opens his door.

He opens his mouth a few times, not quite sure how to react. Laurent doesn’t react or act surprised, probably too used to his nephew’s antics.

“Yeah, it is,” Damen finally says, “but the fast-food in front of the building has the best burgers I’ve ever tasted.”

“Can we get some?”

“Sure, if that’s what you want.”

When Laurent smiles, he does it almost shyly, his mouth twisting up just long enough for Damen to see it. Nicaise isn’t like that. He smiles with all his teeth out, his smile shining through his eyes and Damen is already willing to forgive their first interaction. 

“Don’t buy his smile; he’s not as angelic as he looks,” Laurent says as he steps into the apartment, giving a quick look at Nicaise, who’s already making himself a home on Damen’s couch.

“He doesn’t have his tongue in his pocket, that’s for sure.” He laughs, closing the door behind Laurent. “He looks a lot like you.”

“Does he?” Laurent raises an eyebrow, his lips twisting into a smirk.

“Yeah, you’ve got the same blue eyes, the same cute little nose and a hell lot of an attitude.”

Laurent doesn’t say anything for a moment, simply looking at Damen with wide eyes as if trying to understand if what he just heard happened, before bursting into laughter.

Nicaise is almost as shocked as Damen is if his face is anything to go by.

“Disgusting,” he says, rolling his eyes.

It’s far from disgusting, though. Laurent’s laugh is the most beautiful thing Damen’s ever heard and he’s lucky enough to have already heard it twice in his life. He’s not sure a lot of people can say that.

“I want a burger with two patties and bacon. A chocolate and vanilla milkshake. Oh, and some cheese on the fries.” Nicaise says, holding the flyers of the fast food place in his hand.

“What do we say?” Laurent reprimands him.

“Quickly?”

“No, we say please.”

Nicaise rolls his eyes again, “Pleaseee.”

“Alright, buddy,” Damen laughs, “and you Laurent?”

“Are you ordering over the phone?”

“Nah, it’s right here so I’ll go. But you guys can stay here!”

“Can I come?” Laurent asks, “I mean, so I can see things better.”

“Yeah, of course,” he smiles, his heartbeat speeding up. He’s gonna be seen with Laurent. People will assume they’re friends, or even better, boyfriends. He feels like a twelve-year-old girl about to get her first kiss. It feels damn good. “Nicaise, you can help yourself but please don’t burn anything.”

“Good rule,” Laurent whispers.

They head out of the apartment and make their way to the restaurant.

They quickly order their food after Laurent asks for Damen’s opinion on what he should get, and some light arguing about who should pay. In the end, they agree on a compromise with both paying half the check.

“We’re two and you’re alone,” Laurent says as they head back toward the building. “it’s not fair. Plus, Nicaise eats for three people.”

“Leave the poor boy alone, he’s growing!”

Laurent shakes his head, but Damen suspects it’s just a way to hide the smile on his face.

When they get back to the apartment, Nicaise has already put on a movie and they quickly sit next to him, with Damen in the middle.

He learned a few things during dinner: first, Nicaise doesn’t have a filter. He says everything that comes into his mind, even if there’s a chance it might make others feel uncomfortable. Second, Laurent is courteous, even when he eats his French fries. While Nicaise and Damen try to stuff as many as they can into their mouths, Laurent eats only one at the time with his fingers barely touching it. Third, he’s completely gone for Laurent. If he ever had any doubts about it, they’re all gone.

It’s the way Laurent smiles, his lips slightly twisting up when he thinks no one is looking at him, the way he overthinks everything, from the way the characters in the movie talk to the way they move until he’s figured out the whole plot. It’s the way he acts with Nicaise, too, making sure his glass is full, that he loves the movie and that he’s having a good time, always discreetly though so Damen doesn’t notice.

“No, no, no, stay, sit, I’ll do it!” He hurries to tell Laurent when he sees him gathering all the trash together.

“You can’t carry all of that to the trashcan.”

“I’ll help,” Nicaise says as he finishes his drink.

Laurent seems as surprised as Damen by the offer.

“Chances are he’ll murder you as soon as you leave the room,” Laurent warns him.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought too.”

Nicaise rolls his eyes at them before giving them the middle finger. Laurent reprimands him for his trouble.

They’re alone in the kitchen, Nicaise sitting on the counter while Damen starts to clean everything.

“What do you want from Laurent?” He asks, “I doubt you just love his company.”

“I do love his company,” he says, “I love being with him. And with you, too.”

“No one likes to be with us.”

“Well, I do.”

“You just want to be friends with him? I don’t buy it for a second.”

“I’ll be whatever he wants me to be. Sure, I would love to be more than just his friend, but if that’s what he wants, I won’t take offense.”

“He likes you,” Nicaise finally says, “a lot. Laurent doesn’t like a lot of people so don’t fuck it up.”

“I won’t.”

Nicaise nods, satisfied with the answer, and lets himself slide off the counter.

“Hey, Nicaise?” Damen says before the teen leaves the room, “I’m not gonna hurt him. I promise.”

“I know you won’t. I’ll kill you otherwise and I’m not joking.”

 

 

 

They leave shortly after and Damen walks them back to their car in an attempt to make the moment last longer.

Laurent waits until Nicaise is in the car to turn toward Damen.

“We had a good time, thank you for the invitation.”

“Come back anytime you want. It was really great to have you two here and I think Nicaise likes me.”

“He’s the one who sent you the text. I was so pissed at him.”

“Really?” Damen asks, even though he isn’t surprised even a little.

“Yeah, he knows I would have said no otherwise.”

“Well, I’m glad he did.”

“Me too. Even though he’s a little shit.”

“He loves you a lot.”

“You think?” Laurent asks.

“Oh, I’m sure of it.”

They stay a little longer outside the car, neither wanting to leave – well, at least that’s what Damen thinks until Nicaise starts hitting the window to tell Laurent to hurry.

“I will see you next week for your appointment,” Laurent says.

“Maybe we could see each other again?” He quickly asks, “Like, tomorrow maybe? For lunch?”

Laurent hesitates a moment before agreeing. “We could. My break is at 11 am.”

“Should I come to the hospital?”

“Yes. I’ll drive us wherever we want to go.”

“See you tomorrow then, Laurent.”

“See you tomorrow.”

They smile at each other one last time before Nicaise bangs the window again forcing Laurent to get in the car.

 

 

 

They have lunch together the next day and much to Damen’s surprise, Laurent is the one who proposes to do it again the next day. Before they realize it, it becomes a tradition for them to have lunch together, with a few exceptions when Laurent is in surgery, of course.

They never call it a date and it doesn’t feel like one, but every time they say goodbye, Damen wants to say fuck it and just kiss Laurent. He doesn’t, though, not until Laurent explicitly asks him to do it.  

 

 

 

It’s almost midnight when Damen’s phone rings and he’s ready to tell whoever is calling to go fuck themselves for waking him up.

His mind changes completely when he sees Laurent’s name written on the screen.

“Laurent?”

“I’m sorry, I woke you up.”

He frowns when he hears Laurent’s voice. There’s something wrong with it as if Laurent had been crying prior to the call.

“No, it’s fine, I wasn’t- what’s wrong? Are you alright? Is Nicaise alright?”

“Yes, we’re good. Nicaise is staying at a friend’s house, I just –“ He takes a big breath before speaking again. “I had a… a bad dream. It’s stupid. I shouldn’t have called. I’ll hang up. I’m sorry.”

“No, Laurent, stay, please,” he hurries to say. “Can I come over?”

“What?”

“To your house, can I come? Or you can come to mine, I don’t-“

“I’ll send you the address.”

“Do you want us to stay on the phone while I head over there?”

“No, it’s ok. Tell me when you’re here.”

Once Laurent hangs up, Damen quickly puts his clothes on and calls a taxi.

He’s at Laurent’s place in less than twenty minutes.

His house is exactly how Damen pictured it. It’s big, classy and beautiful. Hand to his heart, he’d put money on it that there’s a piano somewhere in there.

“Hey,” he says when Laurent opens the door.

“Hi. Come in, please.”

He follows Laurent inside and waits awkwardly for him to close the door. Laurent uses three different kinds of locks and resets the alarm, which is probably the only indication that Laurent is able to feel fear. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Laurent finally says, “but I don’t want to be alone.”

“I can stay, even if we don’t talk. I can sleep in the living room or whatever.”

“Would you- would you consider sleeping in my bed?”

“I-“

“You can’t touch me. I need… I just-“

“You don’t need to give any explanations, Laurent. I’ll sleep in your bed and I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”

“Thank you.”

He leads them to his bedroom and immediately slides into his bed facing the wall.

Damen takes his shoes and jacket off and joins him in the bed. Good thing he put on a jogging suit.

“I’m right here, Laurent,” he whispers.

Laurent doesn’t answer, but he sees his shoulders relaxing a bit.

Here’s to their first night together.

 

 

 

He wakes up the next morning without knowing where he is.

“It’s ok,” he hears Laurent say.

He turns around and sure enough, Laurent is standing in the doorway, two mugs of coffee in his hands.

“Shit, I overslept?”

“No, I’ve only been up for a few minutes.”

He walks back to the bed and sits next to Damen, offering him one of the mugs.

“Did you sleep well?” Damen asks.

“I did. Thank you.”

“I should be thanking you. You have no idea how great your bed feels compared to mine.”

Laurent shyly smiles, which Damen takes as a win.

“We’re- my uncle and I are on trial against each other. He… he did things. Bad things. Sometimes it just kind of pops up in my mind, you know?”

“Are you losing the trial?”

“Yes,” Laurent admits. “My uncle has a good reputation. I can’t say the same. He wants to destroy me. He already has, actually.”

“What do you mean?”

“The things he did to me, it… it broke me. I wish it didn’t, but it did. Then I moved out and I start working at the hospital my parents owned. I wanted to be a pediatric surgeon. But rumors started flying around that I was a pedophile. I’ve never touched a child, I’ve never… there was no proof because it wasn’t true, but I could see them looking at me and somehow, my patients found out. They asked for another doctor. I could have dealt with it. But then my uncle told me that I could either leave the hospital or stay and he would call CPS. They would have let Nicaise go with him, and I- I couldn’t. I left the hospital.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“Still. I’m sorry someone would hurt you like this,” he says, “and I’m sorry you were alone through all of it.”

He hesitated a moment before putting his hand on Laurent’s knee, offering support. Laurent put his hand on top.

“Do you work today?” He asks after a while.

“No.”

“Can you stay? Just for today.”

“As long as you want.”

 

 

 

 

 

“I can’t think when you’re with me,” he confesses a few hours later when they’re lying on his bed facing each other.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No. I always think too much.” 

“Then I’ll stay with you.”

“Kiss me,” he whispers, his eyes roving from Damen’s eyes to his lips.

“You’re sad. I don’t want you to regret it later.”

“I won’t. I’ve wanted you to kiss me for so long, you have no idea.”

Damen moves closer to him until there are only a few inches between them; until he’s close enough to feel Laurent’s breathe on his skin and then he slides his fingers into Laurent’s hair, pushing a lock behind his ear.

“You’re so beautiful, Laurent.”

“You’re not bad either.”

Damen smiles and closes the distance between them, offering him a soft kiss. There’s no doubt in his mind that Laurent has never kissed anyone before, or at least not like this, not when treated as an equal. Damen goes slow. He keeps his hands on Laurent’s face and in his hair and doesn’t try to pull him closer. He’ll go as slow as necessary.

 

 

 

 

They spend the rest of the day alternating between kisses and hugs until Nicaise comes back from his friend’s house. They try to play it cool, but Laurent looks like a mess, his lips swollen from kissing and his cheeks red. Damen probably doesn’t look any better himself.

“You’re so gross.” Nicaise declares with disgust. Damen can see his smile through it though.


	8. Chapter 8

Three. That’s the number of kids Laurent’s uncle has killed.

One of them was a friend of Laurent’s, a twelve-year-old boy who talked to much, according to Laurent’s uncle. The other one was the kid of another doctor who didn’t deal well with the fact that Laurent’s uncle had lied to him by pretending he was in love with him.

It was concluded that both had committed suicide and since no notes were found, no one ever found out why they did it.

Laurent knows why they did it.

“It’s unfair,” Damen mumbles under his breath.

“I know.”

“He should be in jail.”

“I know.”

Laurent rolls over Damen until he’s almost lying on top of him, their naked bodies pressed against each other.

“Is your dad coming for Christmas? Or are you visiting?”

“No,” he sighs, “Kastor and Jokase are going over with the baby. I don’t- I don’t want to be with them.”

“Why not? It would make them uncomfortable.”

“Because I would be alone, and my dad would be sad for me, so would his friends and the rest of our family. I don’t want that.”

“How’s the weather in Greece during the winter?”

“Not as cold as here. It rains a lot, but it’s not super-hot. Why?”

“Well, if you want to make them awkward without breaking anyone’s heart, I could come with you. If you want, of course.”

“You would do that?” He asks, surprised.

“Yes.”

“Shit, that would be awesome! I can already imagine my brother’s face when sees you and Nicaise.”

Laurent smiles before placing an unexpected kiss on Damen’s lips.

“I love that you always include Nicaise.”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’re a great man, Damen,” he says, holding his face between his hands. “The best man.”

“And you just saved my Christmas. How can I say thank you?”

Laurent thinks about it for a moment before licking his lips, a habit he has whenever he feels a little insecure.

“Do the thing with your tongue again?”

He doesn’t have to ask twice.

 

 

 

“Have you try asking the parents?” He asks one afternoon while they’re watching Nicaise’s judo match. “I mean, of the kids who… died. Maybe they could testify against your uncle?”

“Elias parents died  shortly after his death. They didn’t want to keep living without their son.”

“And the other one?”

“Aimeric’s dad offered him to my uncle. He knew what was happening.”

Damen looks at Laurent, an expression of horror on his face at the revelation. How could someone do that? How could a father, someone who’s supposed to protect their kid, have done something so awful?

“Nicaise won,” Laurent says with a proud smile, “you were right. Judo is a really good thing for him.”

 

 

 

 

Luckily for Damen, there’s not a lot of kids who are named Aimeric who grew up in the same city as Laurent. He’s able to figure out Aimeric’s last name in only a few days, but finding his parents turned out to be harder.

Aimeric had three brothers to whom Damen sent an invitation on Facebook as soon as he found them.

He gets Aimeric’s parent’s address after three weeks of research.

 

 

 

Lying to Laurent about where he’s going turns out to be the hardest part of his plan. Aimeric’s parents live eight hours away from Laurent’s place, which forces Damen to leave for an entire weekend.

Laurent sends him two pictures: the first one of Nicaise and him under a blanket eating burritos, the second of himself lying naked on top of the cover, with a simple sentence, “ _Wish you were here.”_

He’s this close to turning his car around and to driving back home.

He doesn’t, of course. Instead, he goes to Guion and Loyse’s house and forces them to listen to what he has to say.

 

 

 

Damen’s dad hugs Laurent so tight when he sees him that, for a moment, Damen is afraid he’s gonna break him.

Then he hugs Nicaise with almost as much strength and much to Damen’s relief (and probably Laurent’s, too), Nicaise doesn’t tell him to fuck off. To their surprise, he’s nice and polite, so much so that Laurent ends up asking him if he did drugs before coming.

“You raised him well.”

“No, I didn’t.”

He’s about to protest when his dad comes toward them, one of his friends under his arms.

“Where’s my grandchild? I need to introduce him to Aegus. He won’t believe how much of a sweet child he is!”

“He’s probably eating somewhere,” Laurent says. “Go where there’s food. He’ll be there without a doubt.”

Damen’s father claps on his friend’s back and pushes him toward the kitchen.

“Well, it will be hard for you to leave me now,” Laurent says with a smirk. “Your father has already adopted Nicaise.”

“Yeah, I think he’s spent more time with Nicaise than with Kastor’s baby,” he laughs, even though he’s a little ashamed of enjoying it so much. “I don’t mind staying with you forever, though.”

“Neither do I,” Laurent admits. “Come on, take me into the gardens.”

“You’ve already seen them.”

“That’s not what I asked,” he says with a wink.

If anyone asks, being caught deep inside Laurent in the middle of the garden by his brother was totally worth it, if not for the orgasm, then for the look on Kastor’s face.

 

 

Nikkandros stops at his father’s house the next day. For a moment, Damen thinks about closing the door in his face and never talking to him again. It only lasts a moment, though. Instead, he invites him inside and they sit in Damen’s old room, the same way they used to when they were younger.

For the first hour, it’s just Nikkandros begging for forgiveness over and over again.

“Why?” Damen asks, “Why did you leave? Why didn’t you call?”

“I wasn’t sure you wanted to talk to me. I felt… I felt so guilty, Damen. You have no idea how guilty I felt. I left you, in that house. I tried to rescue you, but when I couldn’t, I just- I left you.”

“You did what you could, Nikkandros. I don’t blame you for it, and neither should you.” He sighs and rubs his face. He wishes things could simply go back to the way they were, just for this. “Is it my forgiveness that you were looking for?”

“Yes, but your friendship, too. I miss you like hell.”

“We could… we could try and talk over the phone. Send each other texts, like we used to. I can’t promise that things will be like before; we’ve both changed too much, but we can try.”

Nikkandros breathes out, relief washing through him, and he turns toward Damen with his little finger in the air.

“Pinky swear?”

“Hell yeah, pinky swear!”

 

 

 

 

“Fuck yeah!” Nicaise yells when he opens his present.

“Language!” Laurent reprimands him. “I swear to god all this kid does is swear.”

“Yeah, I wonder who he gets that from,” Damen says with a smirk, which earns him a kick in the ribs.

“Be nice, or else I won’t give you your present.”

“You’ve already given me my present,” he frowns.

Laurent just smiles and drops a kiss on his lips before getting up and walking out of the house.

“Where is he going?” He asks Nicaise.

“I don’t know. Not far I guess, considering he’s in pajamas.”

Sure enough, Laurent is back only a few minutes later, an enormous box in his hands.

“The fuck is it?” Nicaise asks as he goes to help Laurent carry it.

“You should hurry up and open it,” Laurent tells him as soon as the box is on the floor.

Damen doesn’t waste any more time and begins to tear open the box, only for the top to be pushed off by the thing inside instead.

“Burger!” He exclaims, taking his dog in his arms and hugging him as tight as he can without hurting him. Burger starts licking his face; his tail wagging in happiness. “I missed you so much buddy, you have no idea.”

“Your dog is a Maltese?” Nicaise asks, dumbfounded. “You’re like, the tallest man I have ever seen, and you’ve got a Maltese? Are you serious Damen?”

“He’s my baby!” Damen defends himself, “Look at him! Who’s a good boy? Yeah, it’s you, my love, yes it’s you!”

He closes his mouth so Burger can lick him properly, apparently as happy as he is to find him again.

“He kisses you with that mouth,” Nicaise tells Laurent before going back to his own presents.

“How did you find him?” Damen asks. “Please tell me you didn’t steal him.”

“No, I didn’t. I went to every vet I could find and asked them to put an out an announcement for him. Turns out he was adopted by a very sweet old couple, who were very touched by your story. They said they took him because he was gonna be put down, but that they’re too old to take care of him properly. I promised we would send pictures though.”

“Thank you.” He says, kissing the top of Burger’s head and extending his hand for Laurent to take it. “You have no idea how much this means.”

“I do. It means as much as you going to Aimeric’s parents and asking them to testify against my uncle.”

“How do you-“

“My lawyer called me. His mother testified and so did his brothers. She kept letters from their exchanges, where my uncle promised Aimeric’s father a good position and some other fucked up things in exchange for his son. Uncle went to their house to make sure they burned all the letters, but Loyse took them out of the fire.”

“Can they prove your uncle wrote them?”

“Yes, they can. Even if they couldn’t, now that someone has started to talk, other men came to us and told us he abused them too.”

“You’re gonna win,” he breathes out.

“I’m gonna win,” Laurent repeats, “and my uncle will roast in prison for the rest of his life.”

“Shit!” Damen yells, pulling on Laurent’s hand until he falls on the floor on top of him.

Laurent laughs and lets Damen kisses him, not even protesting when Burger gets on top of them, wanting to celebrate too.

“I fucking love you, Laurent De Vere,” he whispers, touching his forehead to Laurent’s.

“I fucking love you too, Damianos Akielos.”


	9. Chapter 9

The trial finally takes place six months later. Laurent’s uncle’s lawyers had tried their best to delay it. When Damen expressed his concern, Laurent just laughed and told him that the longer they waited, the more proof started to appear.

They won like Laurent had predicted and his uncle was sent to jail for so many charges that Damen can’t even remember them all.

He should be getting another trial in a few months. This one for the death of Laurent’s parents, Auguste, and Ellias’s parents. After taking another look, some inspectors found some damning evidence in the car crash.

“We’re so fucking rich,” Nicaise says as he throws some of his food at Burger. “We were already rich but now we’re like, Bill Gates rich.”

“I’m rich,” Laurent corrects him, “you’ve got nothing, young man.”

Nicaise rolls his eyes and decides to steal a piece of food from Laurent’s plate as revenge. He quickly starts running when Laurent pretends to get up, and Burger happily follows him.

Damen will forever be grateful for Nicaise; otherwise, Burger would have to stick with a limping friend forever.

He’s at Laurent’s place almost every day and night, alternating between going to his place to pick Burger after work and dropping him back when he’s working, which still gives a lot of time for Burger and Nicaise to play together.

“Burger seems to love Nicaise,” Laurent points out.

“Yeah, they kind of fell in love.”

“It’s a shame they’re not always together. I’m sure Burger misses you when you’re at work. He must feel lonely waiting for you all day or night.”

“You think I should drop him here? When I leave for work, I mean. He would have more space that’s for sure.”

“No, I meant that maybe Burger and you could stop doing all those round-trips and just put all your things in our house.”

“Are you- are you asking me to move in?”

“It’s just for Burger,” Laurent says with a poker face that only he could master.

“Oh well, if it’s for Burger then…”

Damen laughs before pulling Laurent against him and kissing him with as much strength and love as he can, ignoring Nicaise calling them gross in the background.

His life ended almost four years ago in a fire but looking at Nicaise and Burger playing together while Laurent is lying on his chest between his legs, he knows that this life is much better than the one he left behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thanks each one of you for your comments; I'm glad so many people liked this story !   
> A big thanks to my beta for her incredible work and, of course, to teomoy who sent me this prompt. I hope it was what you were looking for !


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